Women’s Caucus Chair Applauds Defeat of Blunt Amendment, Calls for an End to Extreme Attacks on Women’s Rights in Ohio

State Rep. Nancy Garland (D- New Albany), Chair of the Ohio House Democratic Women’s Caucus, released the following statement on yesterday’s defeat of the federal Blunt Amendment:

“I applaud the United States Senate for rejecting the ‘Blunt Amendment,’ which would have severely limited a women’s access to preventative healthcare and contraception. It is unfortunate, however, that Ohio House Republicans voted unanimously to urge passage of this very same measure just a few weeks ago.

“In passing HCR 35, House Republicans asserted their belief that employers should be allowed to deny women access to preventative healthcare and contraception for any proclaimed moral or religious reason. That same day, House Bill 284 was voted out of committee with a provision that would change current law to prohibit physician assistants from inserting our removing IUDs, further limiting women’s access to contraception.

“These attacks on women must stop. They only serve to move our nation backwards and undermine the great progress we have made on equal rights. The U.S. Senate made the right decision in shielding women’s rights from further attacks. It is time for Ohio to do the same.”